IATA slams Bush for inadequate congestion response
Right: Giovanni Bisignani, IATA director general, accuses President Bush of attempting to alleviate air traffic congestion with a 'political placebo'
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling on the White House and Congressional politicians in the United States to take more aggressive short-term action to reduce air traffic congestion.
IATA’s director general, Giovanni Bisignani, warns there will be more air delays next summer if the US Government continues to move too slowly in making capacity and efficiency improvements. “President Bush’s recent announcement about making limited airspace changes in an attempt to alleviate congestion during the holidays is a political placebo for a serious long-term illness,” says Bisignani.
The White House is considering peak pricing at New York JFK airport to reduce delays, but Bisignani says: “Congestion pricing has never worked effectively for air transport anywhere in the world, so it is foolhardy to believe that it will work in New York.”
He claims the US Government should immediately implement IATA’s Worldwide Scheduling Guidelines and introduce infrastructure improvements. “There’s already a list of at least 75 projects that could begin tomorrow and we can’t wait any longer.”
Macau breaks through five million barrier
Macau welcomes its five millionth passenger so far this yearMacau International Airport yesterday (Thursday 29 November) registered its five millionth passenger so far this year – the first time the airport has exceeded five million passengers in a single year.
Airport officials predict the airport will handle over 5.5 million passengers this year, close to the six million design capacity for the airport.
Ms. Liu Suning, executive director of Macau International Airport, says that the airport is investing US$500 million to develop the airport in line with a five-year development plan produced by Dutch consulting company NACO. The first phase of the airport expansion includes the extension of the southern area of the passenger terminal and an expansion of the retail area by 2009. After completion, the retail and restaurant area will increase to 2,627m² and 3,631m² respectively. The departure hall will also increase to 9,450m², while the number of boarding gates will double to 12.
The expansion at the airport is due to be complete by 2012, by which time capacity will have risen to 12 million passengers annually.
Macau International Airport is the smallest of four international airports in the Pearl Delta region after Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Frankfurt prepares for 2D barcodes
Next year Frankfurt Airport will introduce 2D barcode technology for boarding cards
Fraport will roll-out its ‘2D barcode’ technology for boarding cards in 2008, which simplifies the check-in and transfer process for passengers. The system enables passengers who have already printed their boarding card at home to bypass the check-in counter, provided they are travelling with hand baggage only.
The system will also be installed in the transfer areas of the airport. Boarding passes of transfer passengers will be scanned and compared with actual flight information. This comparison will enable ground service employees to inform travellers about gate changes or changed departure times.
Fraport predicts that the system will generate valuable management statistics, such as the time passengers spend within the terminal as well as passenger flows.
Frankfurt Airport will also open six new food outlets in 2008, including a 128m² coffee bar operated by Casualfood, which is due to open early in the New Year. Another 65m² bar will be opened on the third floor of Terminal 2 in the summer of 2008.
Germany’s largest airport will also get two new restaurants in mid-2008. A new 200m² fast food restaurant will open its doors in the summer, while the airport will also get a 200m² casual dining restaurant.
A new Starbucks outlet and an Asian noodle counter are also planned in the E section of Terminal 2.
LAX plans US lead in Airbus A380 services
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has pledged the city’s airport terminal facilities will be ready for commercial Airbus’s A380 services following a billion dollar modernisation initiative. The plane returned to Los Angeles International Airport this week for further testing.
“Los Angeles is the obvious destination for the first US flights of new large aircraft, so it is critical that LAX has the infrastructure necessary to receive them,” says Villaraigosa. “We are investing the resources necessary to be ready for next-generation aircraft and to preserve LAX’s status as a premier international gateway.” LAX is expected to be the first US destination of an A380 passenger flight next year with a service provided by Qantas Airways.
LAX claims to be the leading US airport for travel to the Asia/Pacific region, and Asia/Pacific carriers account for 40% of A380 orders.
LAX officials claim that by 2012 LAX will have 12 daily A380 flights, the most of any airport in North America.
More than US$1 billion has been invested in airport modernisation projects in Los Angeles since the beginning of the Villaraigosa Administration, including a US$723.5 million renovation of Tom Bradley International Terminal.
T-ray future for airport security?
Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory are working with collaborators in Turkey and Japan to develop a compact device that uses terahertz radiation, or T-rays, to detect dangerous articles and substances in passenger luggage.
Scientists claim t-rays are far better suited to security scans than x-ray devices
Although terahertz radiation does not penetrate through metals and water, it does penetrate many common materials, such as leather, fabric, cardboard and paper, making it far better suited than existing x-ray and metal detection technology for security screening.
T-rays also have a safety benefit over x-rays, they are far less powerful, and are therefore incapable of ionising atoms, which can cause cellular damage that can lead to radiation sickness or cancer.
The scientists have been able to produce a compact T-ray device thanks to developments in semiconductor technology. They have created a solid-state semiconductor capable of generating radiation at around one terahertz.
"You can make those frequencies if you are willing to put together a whole table full of expensive equipment,” explains Ulrich Welp of Argonne's Materials Science Division. “But now we've been able to make a simple, compact solid-state source.”
A scientific paper based on the research, "Emission of Coherent THz Radiation from Superconductors," appears in the 23 November issue of Science.
Sita plans Bangalore baggage reconciliation
An integrated passenger-baggage reconciliation system will go live at Bangalore International Airport when it opens on 30 March next year. Sita claims the system will be India’s first deployment of such technology.
Marcel Hungerbuehler, chief operating officer of Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), says, “Given our location in the home of India’s formidable IT industry, it is entirely appropriate that this world-class airport should take advantage of the latest technology that Sita is providing to ensure an operationally efficient, secure and passenger-friendly airport.”
The Sita system combines barcodes, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and highly redundant IP-based global connectivity to ensure baggage gets to its destination on time.
“This is a significant milestone for the air transport industry in India and will set a benchmark for the future development of airports,” says Elyes M’Rad, regional vice-president, Sita. “Passenger-bag reconciliation reduces aircraft delays through quicker off-loading in case of passenger no-shows and automatically redirects bags that missed their connection onto alternative flights.”
Sita’s system in Bangalore includes two modules, BagManager and BagMessage. BagManager interfaces with check-in and baggage sortation systems, and integrates with flight information systems for updates on aircraft loading. It can also be linked to the airport’s security systems to verify that bags have been screened and that passengers are matched with the correct luggage.
BagMessage provides airport managers with the latest information about passenger bags as required.
Chinese scanner detects explosives
Nuctech claims its latest scanner can identify dangerous liquids in hand luggage within five seconds
Scanners capable of detecting liquid explosives will be installed in all of China’s 147 airports before the 2008 Olympic Games, says Yang Chengfeng, head of the public security division of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). And all civil airports have been required to install at least one such scanner this year.
So far, Nuctech’s THSCAN LS 8016 X-Ray Liquid Security Scanner is the only equipment approved for installation at airports throughout China. Nuctech has just installed its LS 8016 X-Ray Liquid Security Scanners at White Tower International Airport in Huhhot.
Using proprietary Chinese x-ray technology, the scanner allows rapid detection of potentially explosive or hazardous liquids, without the need to open the container. In a demonstration to the media, the THSCAN LS 8016 Liquid Scanner successfully identified and distinguished explosive, flammable, and corrosive liquids from ordinary daily-use substances within five seconds.
For airports, the adoption of the THSCAN LS 8016 X-Ray Liquid Security Scanner will allow both checked and carry-on luggage to be scanned quickly and more thoroughly than ever before, reducing inconvenience without compromising security.
Chinese airports have traditionally adopted an interesting method for security checking unidentified liquids – they would ask the traveller to take a sip!
Liquid security detector starts trial at Ruzyně
Prague’s airport is this week beginning testing of a new technology designed to detect hazardous liquids. The new device, known as Emili 1, uses microwaves and could eventually lead to the elimination of the security ban on liquids in hand luggage.
“We are testing it in operating conditions and are interested in how it affects the process of security screenings,” says Stanislav Jonáš, security specialist at Prague-Ruzyně International Airport. The tests over the next two weeks will focus on how the machine impacts wait times, rather than how well it detects dangerous liquids.
It will be tried at Terminal 2, which is used for flights to and from Schengen zone countries. During the test, nothing will change in current security regulations and passengers will still not be allowed to bring drinks past the security checkpoint. Instead, the machine will be tested on the few liquids that are already allowed on board.
Although other devices that seek to detect harmful liquids are being tried at terminals worldwide, Prague is the first to test the Emili 1, which was developed by Julich-based company, Emisens. The company claims that Emili 1 can scan a liquid bottle in one second.
Emisens director, Norbert Klein, says he is in talks with airport officials in Dubai and Tel Aviv about testing the machine there. Emisens is also developing a portable scanner to detect ceramic instruments, and on a step-on scanning device for shoes.
Eva Krejčí, spokeswoman for Ruzyně Airport, says it is too early for airport officials to be considering buying Emili 1.
Oman Air begins Gatwick flights
Oman Air has begun its first service to Europe with the launch of non-stop flights between Muscat and Gatwick Airport. Gatwick is the airline’s 24th destination, and it plans to launch a 25th destination by the end of 2007.
Oman Air CEO Ziad bin Karim Al Haremi says the new destination is part of an ambitious route expansion plan with a special focus on long-haul routes and will result in a substantial increase in commercial ties and tourist flow between Oman and Britain.
The airline also operates direct flights to destinations to the Indian subcontinent, including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad, Thiruvanthapuram, Chennai, Lucknow, Jaipur, Karachi and Chittagong, plus domestic flights linking Muscat with Khasab and Salalah.
Baggage handling revolution on way
Researchers at the Delft University of Technology are currently developing a revolutionary system that aims to replace manual baggage handling altogether. The university is designing an automated loading system for aircraft containers called SkyBax.
The SkyBax system weighs and measures luggage immediately after baggage check-in at the airport. The associated computer program then determines how all pieces of luggage should best be stowed within specially designed containers. The filling of containers will be done automatically.
This way, SkyBax relieves workers of the physical strain of lifting heavy bags, reduces the number of employees required for baggage handling and minimises the opportunity for pilfering. Labour is only needed for process control. “It’s an optimal system for security,” confirms Roel Reynen of start-up company Quintech that developed the system in cooperation with the university.
Delft researchers claim their SkyBax system determines how all pieces of luggage should best be stowed within specially designed containers
As fewer employees are needed for baggage handling, researchers believe SkyBax could provide important cost reductions. Moreover, by automating the container-loading process, a higher capacity can be achieved in terms of bags per minute and loading ratio. According to the researchers, the new technology improves system throughput and customer service, reduces costs and decreases processing times.
Companies participating in the pilot project are Schiphol Group, KLM and manufacturer Vanderlande Industries. A pilot project is planned for Schiphol airport, but no start date has yet been announced.
